Inquiry Based Instruction Lab #6

As I finish up my last few teaching labs, I continue to learn and improve. Earlier this week I completed an inquiry based lab on dissecting a chicken wing. I had a fear that this lesson would crash and burn with the lack of preparation that was put into it. The lesson turned out running much smoother than I thought. Here are some highlights and learning moments from my lesson.

• No matter how prepared you are for the lesson, your plans may not always guide you. In each lesson plan I usually think ahead of probing questions I can ask the students throughout the lesson. This time, I had no questions planned, but the students were interacting enough with the lessons that the questions came naturally and were nothing compared to what I would expect to ask. I learned that sometimes it works out to just let the lesson flow.

• Having a different group of students in the lab made for a change of pace. The students I am used to teaching are quiet and go with the flow. This group was more energetic and demanding, but were very willing to participate. It taught me that every class will throw you different challenges as a teacher. 

As you can see, I am continually growing as an educator through my labs, classroom experiences, and projects. This week was full of teaching and moments of learning. Look out for my next blog on my micro teaching experience at Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology!